Have You Built the Right Business for You? 5 Questions Worth Asking Yourself

What if the business you've worked so hard to build isn't actually the business you want anymore?

It's a question that might make you feel a little uncomfortable.

Particularly if you've spent years working towards something, building a customer base, developing a team or establishing yourself in your industry.

But sometimes the most important questions are the ones we don't particularly want to answer.

Earlier this week, I sent an email to my community asking a fairly simple question.

Have you actually built the business you wanted?

And goodness me, I wasn't expecting the response!

My inbox filled with replies from people sharing their experiences, their changing priorities and, in some cases, the realisation that they'd spent years chasing something they now knew they didn't actually want.

That really struck a chord with me.

Because I think it's something that happens far more often than we realise.

We start a business with an idea of what success looks like.

Perhaps it's financial freedom. Perhaps it's building a big team, becoming a recognised leader, leaving employment or simply having more time with our families.

We set goals, make plans and get to work.

And somewhere along the way, we become so focused on reaching the next milestone that we forget to ask whether it's still somewhere we actually want to go.

We get very good at building the business. But sometimes we forget to check whether we're building the right one.

So today, I want to share five questions that I believe every business owner should ask themselves occasionally.

Not because there's anything wrong with ambition or growth.

But because success should mean something to YOU.

1. If You Were Starting Again Today, Would You Build the Same Business?

This is probably the most revealing question of all.

Imagine for a moment that you could start again tomorrow.

You have all the knowledge, experience and lessons you've accumulated over the years.

But you're starting with a completely clean slate.

Would you choose the same business model?

Would you offer the same services or products?

Would you work with the same types of customers?

Would you build a team, work alone or perhaps do something completely different?

It's an interesting exercise because so many of us continue doing things simply because that's what we've always done.

We've invested years building something, so changing direction can feel like throwing all that hard work away.

But there's a difference between valuing what you've built and feeling obliged to keep building it.

I've spent more than 20 years working in direct selling, business development and marketing.

I've built teams, worked in corporate roles, developed businesses and supported countless other people in building theirs.

And the business I want today isn't necessarily the business I wanted 10 or 20 years ago.

That doesn't mean the earlier versions were wrong.

They were right for who I was and what I wanted at the time.

The question is whether the business you're running today still fits the person you've become.

Something to think about

If you could start again tomorrow, what would you keep, what would you change and what would you leave behind completely?

2. Does Your Business Support the Life You Want, or Does Your Life Revolve Around Your Business?

Oh, this is a big one!

How many people start a business because they want more freedom?

Freedom to choose their hours.

Freedom to spend time with their family.

Freedom to take a holiday without asking permission.

Freedom to create a life that works for them.

And then somehow end up working longer hours, carrying more responsibility and feeling less able to switch off than they ever did when they were employed.

It's quite ironic when you think about it.

Now, I'm not suggesting that running a business should be easy.

It takes commitment, discipline and hard work.

There will be busy periods, unexpected problems and occasions when you need to put in extra hours.

That's business.

But if every week is a frantic rush, every holiday involves checking emails and every family occasion has to fit around work, it's worth asking what you're actually working towards.

I love my work.

I also love spending time with my family, pottering around my allotment, looking after my chickens and enjoying the everyday things that make life lovely.

And I've reached a stage where I don't want those things to be what I squeeze in around my business.

I want my business to give me the freedom to enjoy them.

That doesn't mean I've lost my ambition.

It means I've become clearer about what that ambition is supposed to achieve.

Something to think about

If someone looked at how you actually spend your time each week, would they see a life that reflects your priorities?

Or would they see a business that gets the best of you and everything else gets what's left?

3. Are You Chasing Goals That Matter to You, or Goals Someone Else Convinced You to Want?

I think this is particularly relevant in the worlds of entrepreneurship, coaching and direct selling.

We're constantly surrounded by other people's achievements.

The six-figure business.

The top leadership position.

The enormous team.

The luxury holidays.

The awards.

The next big income milestone.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with any of those things.

If that's genuinely what you want, wonderful!

But here's the question.

Do you want it because it would make YOUR life better, or because you've been taught that's what success is supposed to look like?

I spent many years in direct selling, where recognition, promotions and progression were a huge part of the culture.

And those things can be incredibly motivating.

I've seen people achieve extraordinary things because somebody helped them believe they were capable of more.

But I've also seen people chasing the next title or target long after the enjoyment had disappeared.

Sometimes because they didn't want to disappoint their team.

Sometimes because they felt they'd lose face if they stepped back.

And sometimes because they simply hadn't stopped to question whether they still wanted it.

It's not just direct selling, either.

The online business world is full of people telling us we should be scaling, launching, outsourcing, building memberships, creating passive income and working towards our first million.

Goodness, it's exhausting just writing that list! 😂

But what if you don't want a million-pound business?

What if you want a profitable business that gives you a comfortable income, a manageable workload and time to enjoy your life?

What if you love working directly with customers and have absolutely no desire to manage a team?

What if you don't want to become the next big name in your industry?

That's not thinking small. That's thinking for yourself.

Something to think about

Look at the goals you're currently working towards.

For each one, ask yourself:

If nobody else ever knew I'd achieved this, would I still want it?

Your answer might surprise you.

4. Do You Still Enjoy the Everyday Reality of Running Your Business?

We talk a lot about loving what we do.

But I think there's an important distinction between loving the idea of your business and enjoying the reality of running it.

Because the reality isn't always particularly glamorous, is it?

It's answering emails.

Following up with customers.

Managing finances.

Dealing with problems.

Making decisions.

Doing the work when you're tired or would rather be doing something else.

And that's perfectly normal.

Nobody loves every aspect of their business.

I certainly don't! 😂

But there's a difference between having a few tasks you don't particularly enjoy and spending most of your working week doing things that leave you feeling drained.

Perhaps you started your business because you loved working with customers, but now spend most of your time managing people.

Perhaps you loved creating products, but your days are consumed by marketing and administration.

Perhaps you built a successful service business, but the constant pressure of being responsible for everyone else's results is starting to take its toll.

Or perhaps the business itself is still wonderful, but the way you're running it no longer works for you.

That's an important distinction.

Because sometimes you don't need a completely new business.

You need a different way of running the one you've already got.

You might need better systems.

Clearer boundaries.

Different offers.

Fewer clients.

More support.

Or simply permission to stop doing things that no longer serve you.

Something to think about

Forget the big achievements for a moment.

Think about an ordinary Tuesday morning.

Do you generally look forward to your working day?

And if not, which parts of your business would need to change for that to be different?

5. If Your Business Stayed Exactly as It Is for the Next Three Years, Would You Be Happy?

Now, this is an interesting one.

Because we're constantly being encouraged to grow.

More revenue.

More customers.

More products.

More team members.

More everything.

And growth can be wonderful.

But I think we've developed a rather strange idea that a business which isn't constantly getting bigger must somehow be standing still.

As though maintaining a profitable, enjoyable business isn't an achievement in itself.

For some people, the idea of their business staying exactly as it is for the next three years would be absolutely wonderful.

They have the customers they want.

They earn the income they need.

They enjoy their work.

They have time for the things that matter.

Why should they feel pressured to make it bigger?

For others, the thought of another three years doing exactly the same thing would feel unbearable.

Perhaps they're bored.

Perhaps they want a new challenge.

Perhaps their income isn't sufficient.

Or perhaps they know deep down that something needs to change.

Neither response is wrong.

But your answer tells you something important about what you actually want next.

Growth should be a choice, not an obligation.

And sometimes the most successful decision you can make is to stop chasing more and start making better use of what you've already built.

Something to think about

If nothing changed in your business over the next three years, would you feel content, frustrated, relieved or disappointed?

And what does that tell you about your next step?

What If You Realise You've Built the Wrong Business?

Firstly, don't panic!

And please don't assume that answering these questions means you need to throw everything away and start again.

It doesn't.

In fact, I'd encourage you not to make any dramatic decisions based on one afternoon of reflection.

Sometimes we're simply tired.

Sometimes we're going through a difficult period.

And sometimes a business that usually makes us very happy is temporarily making us want to run away and live in a little cottage somewhere with no Wi-Fi. 😂

But if the same feelings keep coming back, they're worth paying attention to.

You might discover that you don't need a new business at all.

You might just need to make some changes.

Perhaps that means reviewing your services, changing your working hours, putting better systems in place or deciding that you no longer want to chase a particular goal.

Perhaps it means recognising that you've outgrown an old version of your business.

Or perhaps it means admitting that the dream you started with is no longer your dream.

And that's okay.

Because here's something I really want you to remember.

Changing your mind doesn't mean you've wasted your time.

Everything you've built has taught you something.

Every customer you've worked with.

Every challenge you've overcome.

Every success.

Every mistake.

All of it has contributed to the person and business owner you are today.

You don't lose that experience just because you decide to take a different direction.

Your Business Should Be Allowed to Evolve as You Do

One of the things that struck me most about the replies to my email was how many people recognised themselves in that question.

People who'd worked hard.

People who'd achieved things they were proud of.

People who'd followed the path they thought they were supposed to follow.

And then realised their priorities had changed.

I think we need to talk about this more.

Because there's an awful lot of advice out there about how to build a bigger business.

But perhaps not nearly enough about how to build a business that makes you genuinely happy.

A business that reflects your values.

Supports your priorities.

Provides the income you need.

And gives you a life you actually enjoy living.

That might mean building something enormous.

It might mean keeping things beautifully small.

It might mean changing direction entirely.

The important thing is that you're making those decisions for yourself.

So, if you take one thing away from this article, let it be this.

You don't have to keep building the business you wanted five years ago simply because you've spent five years building it.

You're allowed to change.

Your priorities are allowed to change.

And your business is allowed to change with you.

One Final Question

I'd love you to find 15 quiet minutes this week, grab a notebook and answer those five questions honestly.

Not with the answers you think you should give.

With the answers that feel true to you today.

Then ask yourself one final thing.

What's one change I could make in the next 30 days that would bring my business closer to the life I actually want?

It doesn't have to be enormous.

Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference.

And I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

If you could start your business all over again, knowing everything you know now, would you build it the same way?

Jac Hodges
Business Growth Strategist

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